TABLE OF CONTENTS OF THE INTRODUCTION, By S. L. MAC GREGOR MATHERS. Notice of the “ Bibliothéque de l'Arsenal" at Paris.—The Manuscript of the present work known to Bulwer Lytton and Éliphas Lévi. —Similarity between Mejnour's style of instruction of Glyndon in * Zanoni” and that employed by Abra-Melin to Abraham the Jew.—Critical description of the present Manuscript; its style; examples; apparent date —Abraham the Jew, his era, and occult contemporaries.—His faith and travels.—A bra-Melin. —Place of residence, and family of Abraham the Jew.—Value of this Book to Occult students.—Notable persons with whom Abraham was brought in contact, and for or against whom he worked Magic.—His warnings against the error of changing one's religion, whether Jew, Turk, Christian, or Pagan.—The absolute necessity of unshaken faith in order to produce a Magical effect. — The Author comparatively broad in his views, though unjust to women.—Good advice in other matters given by him.—His counsel of a retired life not borne out by his own history.—White and Black Magic.—Apparent basal definitions of this particular system of Sacred Magic.—Its advantages, especially as regards Abraham's comments on other Professors of Magic he had met. —The employment of a Child-Clairvoyant, necessary or not.— Abraham's intolerance of other Magical systems.— Basis of his system in the Qabalah.—Example of Magical Square of Letters from Third Book, compared with a Pentacle in “Key of Solomon ".—General character of these.— Practical Qabalah.— Definitions of the nature of Angels, Elemental Spirits, and Devils, with their differences. —Behaviour toward these, as advocated by Abraham.—Meaning of the word Demon, as distinct

iv TABLE OF CONTENTS OF THE INTRODUCTION. from Devil.—Magic in the “Arabian Nights,” compared with recipes in Third Book of this work.—Faust and the effects he is said to have produced.—Magic and the Qabalah derived from Egypt; difference between Egyptian and Chaldean Magic.— Value of a Sacred language and one’s mother tongue compared. —Pentacles and Symbols.—Evocation by the Magic Circle and Licence to Depart.—Abraham's Remarks on Astrology.—Notes to this work.—This Introduction written for Occultists only page xv Appendix A:—Table of Hebrew Letters and English Equivalents page xli » B:—Cagliostro's use of a Child-Clairvoyant page xlii m C:—Examples of other forms of Angelic Evocation page xliii

ACTUAL TEXT:—TABLE OF CONTENTS OF CHAPTERS. THE FIRST BOOK. The Chapters of the First Book have no separate heading of contents given in the text; while those of the Second and Third Books have. I have therefore here placed those of the Chapters of the First Book in parentheses. PROLOGUE. (The First Book to be considered as introductory to the two others, which form the actual original Magic as taught by Abra-Melin) page 3 THE FIRST CHAPTER. (Abraham’s reasons for giving this work as a legacy to his son Lamech):.; ‘;. ‘ i. page 4 THE SECOND CHAPTER. (His Father Simon had told him somewhat of the Qabalah.—Of the Magic of Rabbin Moses of Mayence, and how greatly inferior this was to the Sacred Magic of Abra-Melin) i. page 5 THE THIRD CHAPTER. (Beginning of the Travels of Abraham the Jew.—His going to Mayence in Vormatia (the district under the rule of Worms) to study under Rabbin Moses, for four years.—He then forms a friendship with a young Bohemian Jew named Samuel.—They resolve to travel together to Constantinople, with the intention of afterwards visiting Palestine.— They begin their journey on February 13th, I397, pass through Germany, Bohemia, Austria, Hungary, and